The Gift of a Kitten
by Anniepopokios
Summary: One could rainy night, three balls of fluff somehow make it to the doorsteps of Orochimaru's hidden lair and taking pity on them, Kabuto gives them a home. But this family is shrouded in mystery and what dark deed could have brought them there that night?
1. Chapter 1

**Annie: This story is dedicated to my two new kittens, Haku and Blizzard and is slightly based on true events, very very slightly, anyway I love them so much I decided to write a story about them! And no, this isn't the way we met the kittens, no we just got them from our friend because if they didn't get a home they would be put down…and that's just sad. Anyway, its been like 3 years since I've had a kitten so I'm really happy that they're here and yes, Haku is named after Haku from Naruto. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but Blizzard and Haku shall be my family forever**

**Dedicated to: Hkau and Blizzard, my newest family members. **

**The gift of a kitten**

**Summary:**

One could rainy night, three balls of fluff somehow make it to the doorsteps of Orochimaru's hidden lair and taking pity on them, Kabuto gives them a home. But these new family members not only bring a warm world of compassion with them, but a huge swarm of trouble too!

**Chapter one**

**Freezing on your doorstep**

Rain poured down from the heavens, shielding the land of Otowagakure in its thick sheets, sending everyone's heart into agony as they waited anxiously for the storm to end, but all through the night it dragged on. Turning soft dirt into dark mud and sending every animal hiding deep inside their warm burrows, as did the villagers in their houses. No one wanted to be caught out in the cold flood of rain and no one wanted to help anyone that was…

Through the darkness and cold, a single cat struggled, praying that she'd soon find shelter from this freezing world. The wind howled and ripped at her tiny body, making her sway back and forth as she stumbled forward, mud sticking to her once glossy white fur and turning it an ugly dark color. Her blue eyes looked sad and full of misery, her strength receding with every step, but to her, none of that mattered. The rain and the wind did not bother her, for she was used to this kind of weather, but what concerned her where the two balls of fluff hanging out of her mouth gently. Her kittens were the only thing that mattered to her.

If they died, so would she and if they lived, well, that would be enough for her. She just had to press on, keep taking these heavy steps forward and all the while she was taking them for the kittens. Her eyes felt heavy and her entire body cried for defeat, wanting so badly for the stress and pain to end, but instead, it continued.

The falling rain stung her eyes so much that they were barely open, her walk almost completely lead blindly as she took the steps, feeling the cold mud under her paws.

The kittens were beginning to mew again, hating the rain as much as she did, but there was nothing she could do. She had no idea where any shelter might be, and though she kept searching, she found nothing but burrows filled with grumpy animals and houses filled with cat hating people. Silently, she told herself she'd get through this. Things like this were normal, they'd happened before. However, the kittens had taken up most of her strength, still not able to eat solid food and she herself hadn't eaten for days. Her ribs were Cleary visible around her stomach and if you were to stroke her back, you would feel each bone in her spine. Yes, she had seen better days, but as she kept on walking this blind struggle, she noticed a light in the darkness.

Her heart skipped a beat, a soft purring noise erupting in her stomach as her crystal eyes fell upon what looked like a den of some sort, but whatever it was , it would be dry there. She rug herself forward, her body having no strength left to give her, running on empty as she struggled forward. Suddenly, she felt something cold under her feet, but it was solid, not like the mud she'd once been walking in and then looking down, she realized it. Cement, that normally meant humans, but she hardly cared. She hated humans, so cruel and conceited, but she'd have to give in, for the kittens' sake.

In a final desperate attempt, she drug herself unto the cold floor, holding the kittens close as she dug her claws into the cement and pulling herself forward. Her muscles screamed at her, her body ready to give as she felt herself fall and hit the cold floor over and over again, rolling over on her back and squealing out with pain as he kittens also took this plunge into darkness. She didn't know what was going on, and it kept happening over and over again, she'd hit something cold and then she'd fly into the air, and then she'd hit it again. Then suddenly, she felt her weary body slam into something that felt like wood, and then, everything around her went black, the life she'd tried her best to hold onto floating away into a sea of black as she lay in the dark, defeated…

/\/\

Kabuto sat at a desk in the front room, busily doing his paper work next to a burning fire. It was too cold in his room, his hands had been beginning to numb as he scribbled down on the papers so he'd moved his work in here. For hours he'd been engulfed in the chicken scratches running all down the papers. He scribbled down some more words with his pen and went searching through the pile next to him for another piece of clean paper.

Suddenly a huge banging noise robbed him form his world of papers, making him jump with surprise as his eyes darted to door, glaring at it angrily. He cursed under his breath, mad at whoever had thought their needs so important that they could interrupt him. He stood up, shoving the papers to the side and smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt as he went to go see who was at the door.

"What do you want?" He grumbled, wondering who on earth would come at this late of a time. Then again, he was starting to wonder why anyone would come here in the first place. He reached out and grabbed the door knob, feeling the cold brass under his hand as he opened the door. The scene in front of him made him gasp, and for long moments, he simply stared at the dead looking creatures in the doorway with wide eyes.

"Cats?" he asked to himself and bent down to get a better look at the drowned looking rats. He poked on of them with his finger only to receive a cold hiss rumbling deep inside its throat. The his eyes grew wide, staring out at the rain and muddy stairs, realizing what must have happened.

"They must have fallen down the stairs," he gasped and eyed the animals again, taking pity on the shivering animals," poor things." He said kindly and scooped them up in his arms, feeling their cold wet fur clinging to their skinny bodies. He'd never been much of a cat person, but he'd never been so cruel as to leave helpless creatures to freeze to death in the pouring rain. He hugged them close and disappeared back inside the warm house, leaving the cold outside world behind him and having no idea what he had just got himself into…

---

Annie: Please review and tell me what you think, I'm sure Haku and Blizzard would be really happy to know that they are popular on a website so like yeah, tell um you love um! And just to tell you, if you didn't get that part in the beginning when it said the mother cat felt like she was flying and then hitting something, that was when they fell down the stairs. So anyway REVIEW! PLEASE! And oh yes, if anyone would like to become my proofreader for this story, I would be very thankful and maybe even give you a cookie or something…


	2. New family members

**Annie: Hiya, heres the next chapter, not much I can say about it. Please review though. **

**Chapter two**

**Members of the family**

Kabuto walked into the living room and set the trembling balls of wet fluff down on the floor next to the blazing fire. Now he could get a good look at them. He sat down next to the mother and stroked her muddied fur, feeling her bones underneath the fur. She purred with delight, enjoying her new surroundings.

"Poor thing," he sighed as he stared at her, pity flickering in his eyes as he examined her tiny body, noticing the many cuts and scratches scraping across her fur. Her ears were nothing but shreds and her fur looked infested with fleas and mange. However, once looked past that, she really was a pretty cat and through her ugly exterior, he could see that she was beautiful.

Her kittens shared her inner beauty, curling up into balls as they let the warm intensity of the fire flow over them, relief flooding through their bodies as they purred. Kabuto smiled slightly, happy that they were content with this place. He wasn't thinking about anything but them right now. He knew Orochimaru hated cats and he new that if he found them it would surely be their deaths, but something about this little skinny creatures, wouldn't let him through him out. He didn't care what Orochimaru said or thought, these things needed help and right now, it looked like he was the best one to offer it.

"Kabuto, what cha got there?" the familiar voice of Kin hit his ears, making him swirl around, hiding the mother cat in his arms and glaring up at the sound nin with angry eyes.

"Oh kittens?" Kin raised an eyebrow, her eyes falling to the two purring things lying next to the fire. Kabuto smiled and nodded. The black haired girl plopped down next to him, noticing the trembling cat in his arms and feeling as though she was about to laugh.

"Since when do you take care of cats?' she said in a humorous tone but Kabuto only glared at her and turned his attention back to the mother cat.

"I found them on the doorstep," he said quietly as he began stroking her fur again," look at them, they look terrible." He said earnestly, putting the purring cat back on the wooden floor and standing up.

"I'm gonna go get some towels and dry them off, can you watch them for a few minutes?" Instead of waiting for an answer, he just left knowing that she didn't really have a choice. Kin scoffed as Kabuto left, tired of the way he always bossed her around, but as she looked back over at the kittens and their mother, she forgot about her dislike for Kabuto. They looked so weak and tired that she felt sorry for them. Taking pity on the trembling creatures, Kin took the two kittens in her arms and set them down in her lap, stroking their cold fur softly and smiling slightly. They were so fragile and small, like fine china under her fingers and yet through the mud and soaked fur, they felt warm and peaceful, sending a calming feeling flowing over her as she continued to massage the kittens with her small fingers.

"I wonder what Orochimaru would do if he found you here," Kin sighed to the purring fluff balls as she stared into the burning embers dancing around the fireplace. Everyone knew of Orochimaru's hate of cats, small or large, the creature just seemed to bother him and she could only imagine how mad he would be when he found out there were two kittens and a mother cat sleeping next to his fire.

Still it was hard to believe that anyone would try to harm something so adorable and tranquil, then again, Orochimaru wasn't exactly your average person.

/\/\

Kabuto walked quickly down the dark halls, searching out the correct door that would lead him to his room. He sighed with relief as he opened the door, hearing it click behind him as he entered his cold room. He felt very on edge keeping those animals here and even as he told himself to calm down, he could see his hands shaking in front of him as he went into his bathroom and grabbed a few towels to dry the cats off with. Then he quickly exited his room and headed back down the empty halls. He felt like everything and everyone was watching him, as if he was committing a terrible crime and everyone knew what would become of him but himself. Shaking his head to rid himself of his foolish thoughts, he continued his hasty walk down the corridors.

Staring up at the ceiling, he let his thoughts wander, which, in this instance, was very foolish saying he forgot where he was going and didn't realize what had happened until he felt something slam against his head and he fell to the ground.

"Wha?" Kabuto rubbed his head as he hit the ground, groaning as a sharp pain sprung through him. He glared up at the person who had run into him, meeting the angry eyes of Dosu.

"Watch where you're going!" Dosu growled as he also rubbed his sore head. Kabuto sighed as he picked himself up and turned to leave again. Dosu eyed him suspiciously as he pushed his way past him.

"What are the towels for?" He asked, noticing the two white towels Kabuto held in his arms.

"If you want to know you'll have to come with me." Kabuto snickered as he walked down the dark hallways. Dosu shook his head and watched him leave.

"Loser." He scoffed, but somehow he was eaten up with curiosity and began to anxiously follow Kabuto as he walked back to where the kittens had been left with Kin.


End file.
